Happy?

Nine questions will tell you

ThomasKostigen

Rick Foster and Greg Hicks, sociologists and authors of the book, "How We Choose To be Happy," have devised a descriptive and prescriptive questionnaire based on these traits that roots out just what happiness is and means to each of us.

Their timing may be prescient.

"Today there is something new emerging in our culture. It is a growing recognition that despite our economic and material gains, we haven't become a happier society. An increasing body of research tells us what some of us have known intuitively and what others have learned from experience: More money, in itself, does not make us happier. In fact, it can, and often does, lead to increased alienation, depression, and discontent," points out Pamela Gerloff, editor of More Than Money Journal.

Over the past two weeks, a certain pall seems to have been cast over many people and segments of our society. Psychologists have reported increased cases of patients experiencing depression. Support groups have even been formed around the country to address this pathos.

To be sure, the presidential election dashed the hopes and wishes of almost half the U.S. voting population. There may be other sadness factors too: the end of daylight savings time, bringing darkness earlier in the day; the holidays approaching; war; maybe even that lunar eclipse.

In any event, whatever is responsible for bringing this melancholy to the surface is probably a good thing (good in the sense of extracting the problems, that is). But once those feelings have arisen, then what?

In the Foster and Hicks' book, the idea is to take inventory of the things that make you happy, and keep reference. The personal inquisition should begin with the very basic question of how deeply happy you are right now on a scale of 1 to 10.

With that in mind, the sociologists would have you dig deeper.

The first identification measure of happiness is your intention, they say. How we choose to be happy is not simply the desire to be happy, but the intent to be happy. It is the fully conscious decision to choose happiness over unhappiness. "As you go through your day, to what extent do you actively intend to be happy?" they ask.

If indeed you make the conscious decision to be happy, how do you hold yourself accountable? Foster and Hicks say there is a "choice to assume full personal responsibility for our actions, thoughts and feelings, and the emphatic refusal to blame others for our own unhappiness. It is the insistence on seeing ourselves as having control over our own lives, rather than being at the receiving end of circumstance. When happy people have been hurt they refuse to act like victims."

What's next is identification, which they say is the ongoing process of identifying for ourselves what makes us truly, deeply happy. So, happy people can tell us in an instant what makes them happy, and the question becomes, "Which choice or direction will make me happiest?"

That truth should be central to a person's character and be "nonnegotiable," according to the authors. "Happy people live their passions and dive into those things that make them happiest regardless of the complexities of their life circumstances. "Do you insist on happiness?"

Of course, complexities are a part of life. But a happy person recasts his or her problems into opportunities and challenges.

"To what extent do you recast everyday problems by turning them into opportunity? Do you allow yourself to feel unhappy emotions deeply and then, as healing allows, move through sadness by converting trauma into opportunities and meaning?" ask Foster and Hicks.

A key component to happiness is, in fact, the creation of options and possibilities. "In your own life, are you aware of opportunities? Do you take risks? Do you try new things? Are you flexible enough to jump into the unknown for the experience of trying something important or new?"

If you do, can you appreciate it? "Happy people actively appreciate their lives and express gratitude and thanks to the people around them. They seem to revel in each moment rather than focusing on the past or worrying about the future. They talk about being exquisitely aware of the fragility and preciousness of existence. Foster and Hicks ask, "To what extent are you aware of the moment and grateful for your life and those around you?"

And if you are grateful, do you give? They say, "Giving is a constant in life, and may manifest itself in one's profession, community work or with friends and family. It is the act of sharing yourself -- your talents, resources and hospitality. To what extent do you give richly of yourself to others?"

And last, but not least, how truthful are you to yourself and others? "Happy people speak their truth in an accountable manner, enforce personal boundaries, and will not conform to the demands of society, the corporation or the family if it violates their personal belief systems. Their truthfulness becomes a contract they have with themselves and, most important, it is a way to check their thoughts and actions against their own internal, personal code."

Despite sing-song cultural platitudes, you should worry about being happy, especially now, as the light has been cut short and there seems to be just a whole lot more darkness out there in the world.

You can access the full questionnaire and happiness test at http://choosetobehappy.com/explore/index.html. Take the test now.

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